Interview 1
Speaker 1: How did you get into electronic dance music?
Speaker 2: Well, I didn't really realize it. But back when I was really little, I was listening to
like, some of my favorite songs I've like, had to look back and rediscover this but my dad had these old like CDs like "Rhythm is a Dancer" and um, like, "Be My Lover" and like songs, kind of like that, which were kind of like 90s I guess dance music, and I really like got into that. And then I guess in middle school, I really got into dubstep like a lot of my middle school friends, which is kind of
embarrassing. And then I kind of took a long - I did a lot of like, listening to pop music, but then when I really kind of got committed to EDM was once I went to Europe and started partying a lot abroad and going to like a lot of clubs in Croatia. And then when I went down, I also spent four months in Singapore. So, I went clubbing. They have, like, really good clubs there so I did a lot of clubbing down there. And so, like, I really started, like, putting together like kind of at first I was like kind of joking like all these like EDM playlists and stuff and like, you know, things I remember vaguely that they played in the club a lot, the perform - the night before and stuff like that. But then it kind of turned into this thing, like where I was actually listening to it a lot. And my friends kind of made fun of me because, you know, EDM's not super popular, like it is abroad here. But um, I just really got into it that way. And so it was really like through kind of live
performance and, you know, just like hearing it played in public and other places is really how I got into it, but I think I have like a longer connection to like the genre from when I was younger.
Speaker 1: Who would you say is your favorite EDM DJ?
Speaker 2: Probably Marting Garrix. And I would say like, the reason is that one, I saw him
in concert, and that was like, amazing and like, for me, that's what actually I've realized, like a lot of my favorite or all of my like favorite performers or favorite artists are people who I have actually ended up going to see right here.
And the reason is because like, I think, like mainly I just like the way it sounds, but I can also like tie it back like how it made me feel when I was like there, so, like, that's one reason I really enjoy listening to my, like, club playlist is because, you know, it's not like easy listening, but it reminds me of like, when I was out like clubbing or doing like, kind of the experience and you know, it's really kind of like reliving that. And that's exactly why like Martin Garrix he was like one of the biggest concerts I've ever seen one of the biggest names so he had a like incredible production. His stage was really cool and you know, music was tuned out perfectly. So, I think that's probably why he's my favorite and then why like Alan Walker is one of my favorites as well because I saw him in concert and
that's like a big relation to like, all my like, favorite things like listen to or things I've heard Yeah,
Speaker 1: So, continuing with that, um, so what do you think really sets him apart from
other DJs that you've seen and what makes him really stand out from those people?
Speaker 2: Gotcha. Yeah, um, first of all is like, one thing I really liked about Martin Garrix
is that he's really young. And he's also Dutch and for some reason I really like the Dutch people like I'm learning Dutch right now I have like a lot of Dutch friends like Dutch DJs, it's just that they have this like, kind of like thing about them. Like that just makes it cool. Like there's, you know, the Netherlands has like a big, big, like, footing in EDM and like a music production even like back in the 90s. And so, like him being a Dutch DJ, just kind of makes it like, cool to me personally, I don't know. That seems maybe kind of like, not racist, but like, just like, I can't say it's my favorite just because it's Dutch. But like, that definitely adds appeal because it's like he's part of something that's like, you know,
considered like an elite club of like, producers, but also, I like how he, you know, produces his own music and he's... he... he doesn't just like stand up there and like DJ just like all these like random things like he has something kind of for
everybody. So, you know, you hear people like hear Martin Garrix songs on the radio, whether they realize it or not, you know, he like did a lot of like um feature or he had like Dua Lipa feature in songs, um Khalid and stuff like that. And those are like pretty like big line names. You can play those on the radio, but
meanwhile, he also has like great clubs, or like, I guess it'd be I'm trying to think. Not like big room maybe or like, very like auditorium or stadium EDM, like for big festivals and stuff. It's like very appealing for that. So, he has like things to tie it all together. And so, I think that's why I think he was one of my favorite live performances as well as just one of my artists in general is because he has like a repertoire big enough to like kind of stitch a good performance together.
Speaker 1: What was the last EDM festival or concert that you went to?
Speaker 2: Okay, so on New Year's Eve, I was in Singapore. I was like revisiting and I went
to Marquee in Singapore which is a big club that they just opened. It's the biggest club in Singapore now it houses I think 3500 people and so we were there for their New Year's Eve party. And we saw W&W which is another Dutch DJ group. Yeah, a lot of people like even my Dutch friends are like who is W&W. And I was like, come on guys. So that was more of like a rave trance kind of like house kind of situation I guess would be what that falls under. But um you know, they were like the headliner of the night others like before all of that they had you know, all their like house DJ playing their sets, but they were like the big headliner for that.
Speaker 1: Um, so what made you decide to see W&W in particular, like, did you have a lot
Speaker 2: So, first thing was is that like since I was… honestly, this is not a great answer. But like, the first thing was while I was scheduling my trip to Singapore, I like, going out was like a big part of my study abroad experience. So when I went to go back and revisit that also had to be a big part, especially on New Year's, like Marquis was one of the first to release like who their headliner was going to be and like, it was like a pretty like big name, at least to me. So like, I went ahead and bought the tickets there because like tickets really expensive so like they were like on the first one. And I'm trying to think like all the other clubs really hadn't released anything. And there's another big festival that they do out on a beach in Singapore called Siloso Beach Party, but they were really slow to release their headliners and their headlines weren't good. Like, I think it was like... I can't remember who they had but, like, some years they had like Flume and
Marshmello and like Galantis and stuff like that. But then like this year, they just had these random DJ so I was like, I want to kind of go with who I know the best. But yes, it was like the earliness of like the tickets as I was traveling there, from so far away, I want to go ahead and get those tickets secured. It was also, like, there really didn't end up being any better options.
Speaker 1: So, when you went to see W&W, what did you like the most about the
performance and what did you like about them as well?
Speaker 2: Okay, um, I mean, one thing was, I mean, I was in a club, and it was really like
after I'd been there for a long time. So, like, I don't remember a lot about that experience to be honest with you. But you know, one thing that I love, and you have a lot of videos I do remember some of it, obviously, but it... First of all, their, like, lighting production was really good. So that's one thing that I'm very
interested in is like lighting, like stage productions, which is why I like EDM another reason I really like EDM. So, you could tell like they had... it wasn't just like the standard like club life designer, like, they brought in their guy. He had like, had all their like scenery up so you really felt like it was like a personal vibe. You can usually tell like when in a club, like when the, like, house lighting designers run the lights and then like when the DJ like whenever headliners are, because the club guys don't really understand like the vibe. You know, the DJs that they have never worked with before. Like this, it really like completed the atmosphere. Also, just, you know, it was... they're like a really cool group and they have like really good rave songs and stuff like that. So, at that point in the night, just like the kind of mood of their songs and kind of like their hype as a group was like really good that time of night. And so, I remember thinking like, this was like the perfect time to roll them out now, because they didn't roll them out at midnight. They rolled them out at like 1:45 to, like two o'clock or
something like that. So, you know, it was, you know. Everyone was kind of to that point of the night where we'd been there for a while but everyone's kind of like drunk off their ass, like having a good time, but it was like a really good vibe. It wasn't like they were opening or kind of like, you know, the timing of the night was really good for their performance. And so, I thought that was kind of cool.
Speaker 1: So, what do you think sets them apart from other performances that you've seen before? Or was there anything in particular that did?
Speaker 2: You know, for them? Honestly, I didn't really see anything that was like super
spectacular, I guess. I mean, you know, I'm trying to think like, no, not really. I mean, they played a pretty typical set. I don't really know anything about DJing. So, I can't really like attest to like their live, like, performance skills, like I mean, like, I enjoyed the performance, but like, as far as technique goes, I can't critique that at all. But no, like, it wasn't anything. Like, it definitely wasn't the best thing I've ever like, heard. It wasn't the best performance I'd ever been to like, would I go see them again? Probably not. But like, you know, if I had to redo it all over again, I would have still gone there to listen to them. And I'm glad that we went. I wish that there were like some better DJs there, but they're really in high demand on New Year’s, you know, everyone's out. So.
Speaker 1: So how did you find out about that particular performance? Is there a certain place
that you go to?
Speaker 2: Yeah. So, for there. Honestly, I knew I kind of had a couple clubs in mind that I
wanted to go to for New Years. And so, it was like the Siloso Beach Party, which that's like a beach club in Singapore on an island. Then there's like a, there's club Zouk, which is what used to be the biggest before they built the other one
Marquis. And I've gone there a lot when I was on exchange. Now that's a big club. It's been there for like 20 something years. And then there's Marquis which I hadn't been to yet. I really wanted to go and they're kind of an international brand so I knew they'd probably pull in somebody pretty good. So, I just kind of like kept a watch on those three things. It's a small island so there's only like so many things happening, but like I knew like even before I went like when I bought my plane tickets back in the day that like they were going to have some big DJ come in to one of those three places so. It's just kind of just like knowing where to look. For here, I find like in the US, I find it like kind of typical. I use like Songkick, I guess to find out what people are touring, but you know, being in the Raleigh- Charlotte areas, it's kind of like a dead spot for these kind of performers. So, there's not really much going on. There's not really many clubs in North Carolina so. But yeah, I use Songkick like that's how I found the Alan Walker concert, was through Songkick. Yeah, I think Steve Aoiki's coming sometime in March or April or something like that. That's how I found out on Songkick.
Speaker 1: Well, um, so how would you say your experience differs between listening to
music at home and actually seeing the DJ live?
Speaker 2: Yeah, so I definitely, like, I would say that 90% of what I listen to at home, I
didn't listen to it before I heard it live. So, especially going to clubs, and this is kind of what I was trying to explain to a friend earlier. When you go to like a lot of clubs, you start, like, there's songs that you hear over and over and over again.
And you may not really know what the song is, but like you, like if I hear it in like a...in like a random playlist on like Spotify, I'm like, "Oh shoot, I've heard that song like 400 times" and then I kind of add it to the playlist, right. And I'll do something, or I'll like, I'll do something really lame and I'll SoundHound this or like Shazam the song in a club or something like that. But like I... almost all the EDM I listened to is like purely like pretty much all based on what I heard live. Or, yeah, I guess it's really like when I vibe with it the most is when I hear it live and honestly like, for example like Martin Garrix. I'm going to be honest with you before like I saw that he was coming to F1 which is where I saw him, the festival where I saw him at. I didn't really like exactly know who he was. I listen to his music I was like this guy's performance isn't going to be that good and I went and saw it live and I was like, "Oh my God. I love this. This is so amazing," and I added all this stuff because then you kind of like know like, it's kind of hard to imagine the vibe when you haven't like experienced it or like when you're listening to it by yourself at home, but like when you're there hearing it live, it completely changes it and make songs way cooler. And then you can kind of like put yourself there when you listen to it. So, like I said, the vast majority of my music I pretty much have got that I listen to at home, I get from you know live performances at clubs or concerts or festivals.
Speaker 1: So besides for the music, what draws you to these shows?
Speaker 2: Yeah, like I mentioned before I'm really into like light design. So, it's kind of like
a, like a weird obsession of mine like I'm really interested. Like I have like a bunch of light designers that I follow on Instagram. I actually follow more light designers than EDM artists. Like to these guys who tour and set up all these like big like, sets and you know, a lot of people in the music industry they kind of stick their nose at that and they call them flash and dashes in kind of the industry which is like, you know, when you have like a Marshmello or something, right,